Sting's return to rock to include a March 2 date at Myth in Maplewood

Not only is Sting ditching the lute on his next tour, he’s avoiding arenas and getting back to smaller venues in a lot of markets, including the Twin Cities. The Police frontman will play a semi-intimate show March 2 at Myth mega-club in Maplewood as part of his tour behind “57th & 9th,” his first straight-up rock album in more than a decade.

Tickets to the Myth date go on sale next Monday via Ticketmaster for $87. Tickets in other cities reach up to $150. The ticket price also includes a free download of Sting’s new LP, though. Pre-sale ticket offers for the tour, including a fan club stash and a Citi Card bundle, begin Thursday.

Sting will return to a stripped-down rock format on the tour with longtime guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Josh Freese, both of whom played on the new record. Minnesota fans know Freese well from his 2013-2015 stint as the Replacements’ replacements drummer.

One of Sting’s musical progeny, son Joe Sumner, will serve as a warm-up act on the tour. The younger Sumner has played in London-based rock band Fiction Plane. San Antonio rockers the Last Bandoleros will open the shows. The Myth date falls about a month into the tour.